Prof. Tom Otiti of the Department of Physics, School of Physical Sciences, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), was on Thursday 4, October awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Belgorod State Technological University, Russia. The Honorary Doctorate was in honour of his work in the field of climate change.

The Vice Rector of Belgorod State Technological University, Russia, Prof. Nikolay Afanasievich Shapovalov while awarding the degree thanked Prof. Otiti for his contribution to the protection of the environment. “We appreciate the work of great scientists like Prof. Otiti, and this is why we are here today to honour him,” Prof. Nikolay Afanasievich Shapovalov said.

Prof. Tom Otiti has conducted extensive research on Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Transport Sector in Uganda. This research was motivated by the rising levels of pollution worldwide especially in oil producing countries, and the need to promote the use of renewable energy such as solar and bio-gas.

The award was witnessed by a delegation of eleven from Makerere University, led by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Prof. Sandy Stevens Tickodri Togboa, on special invitation of the Belgorod State Technological University. Prof. Otiti also presented a paper from his research titled; ‘Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transport Sector in Uganda’.

Prof. Tickodri also gave a presentation on the KiiraEV (Kiira Electronic Vehicle), calling on the students to come to Uganda to collaborate in areas of transportation.

The Makerere Delegation, which was received by the Rector of Belgorod State Technological University, Russia, Prof. Sergey N. Glagolev, also met with the Governor of Belgorod, Yevgeny Savchenko, to draw more ways of attracting Ugandan students to study is Russia.

Prof. Otiti in 2007 won the Nobel Peace Prize shared between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body of the UN and former US vice-president Al Gore. Prof. Tom Otiti and Assoc. Prof. Charles Basalirwa (Department of Geography) shared in the Nobel Peace Prize won by the IPCC for its work on global warming and climate change. Prof. Otiti was part of a team of researchers from Africa, US, China and Russia who conducted a project for IPCC on how to effectively circulate the best environmentally sound technologies in the world.

Makerere University early in the year signed a Memorandum of understanding with Belgorod State Technological University to collaborate in the areas of research and innovation, student exchange, staff exchange.

Under this collaboration, the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) and the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) will teach students on behalf of Belgorod State Technological University. The students will take on their first year of study at Makerere before continuing with the rest of the years at Belgorod. Under the same agreement, CEDAT will teach Power and Electrical Engineering, Civil and Construction Engineering and Machine and Mechanical Engineering.

Betty Kyakuwa is the Communication Officer, CEDAT